US5032154A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Flue gas conditioning system
Assignee: Neundorfer Inc
•
Filing: 1990-03-15
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Granted: 1991-07-16
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Expires: 2010-03-15
Abstract
Abstract SO 3 flue gas-condition systems provide a controlled flow of flue gas-conditioning agent such as SO 3 into a boiler flue gas and its entrained particulate material ahead of an electrostatic precipitator. The systems monitor the opacity of the stack effluent and operate to maintain a flow of SO 3 -conditioning agent into the boiler flue gas to provide minimal opacity of the stack effluent. The systems operate to hunt and operate at SO 3 -conditioning agent flow rate corresponding to minimal opacity of the stack effluent and to eliminate corrections that may be due to transient operating conditions such as boiler upsets, precipitator rapping and the like. The systems include features providing improved conversion of SO 2 l into SO 3 , integrated assemblies to provide SO 2 from sulfur and sulfur dioxide conversion units adapted to convert SO 2 into SO 3 at a plurality of remote SO 3 injection sites.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert A. Wright
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 20:01
CPC Classifications
B; B03; B03C; B03C3/00; B03C3/34; B03C3/66; B03C3/01; B03C3/013
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
126 words
In a system for conditioning boiler flue gas with sulfur trioxide for removal of entrained particles with an electrostatic precipitator, including means to provide a controlled flow of sulfur dioxide and air at a temperature only in excess of the condensation temperature of sulfurous acid, the improvement comprising: means to divide the flow of air and sulfur dioxide into a plurality of air-sulfur dioxide flows of reduced volume; a plurality of sulfur dioxide converter assemblies, each sulfur dioxide converter assembly comprising a small heater for the flow of air and sulfur dioxide and a contiguous small catalytic converter, said heater and catalytic converter having a heating capacity and SO 3 conversion capacity sufficient for the reduced volume of one of the plurality of air-sulfur dioxide flows.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
126 words
In a system for conditioning boiler flue gas with sulfur trioxide for removal of entrained particles with an electrostatic precipitator, including means to provide a controlled flow of sulfur dioxide and air at a temperature only in excess of the condensation temperature of sulfurous acid, the improvement comprising: means to divide the flow of air and sulfur dioxide into a plurality of air-sulfur dioxide flows of reduced volume; a plurality of sulfur dioxide converter assemblies, each sulfur dioxide converter assembly comprising a small heater for the flow of air and sulfur dioxide and a contiguous small catalytic converter, said heater and catalytic converter having a heating capacity and SO 3 conversion capacity sufficient for the reduced volume of one of the plurality of air-sulfur dioxide flows.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
127 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first means comprises a sulfur pump, a sulfur burner having a sulfur input and air input and a sulfur dioxide output, and an insulated conduit interconnecting said sulfur pump and the sulfur input of said sulfur burner, an air blower and air flow divider connected with said air blower and having a first output and a second output, a first heater, and a first air conduit means interconnecting said first output of the air divider and first heater with the air input of the sulfur burner; and said second means comprises a second heater, and a second air conduit means interconnecting said second output of the air divider and second heater with the sulfur dioxide output of the sulfur burner.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
39 words
The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said air divider directs about 5% to about 10% of the air blower output to the first output and about 90% to about 95% of the air blower output to the second output.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
52 words
The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said first heater has capacity to heat the air from the first output of the blower to temperatures in excess of about 750° F. and said second heater has capacity to heat the air from the second output to temperatures in excess of about 100° F.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
196 words
Apparatus for conditioning flue gas with sulfur trioxide for removal of entrained particles with an electrostatic precipitator, comprising: means for providing a flow of sulfur dioxide gas in air, including a sulfur burner, means for providing said sulfur burner with a flow of air, means for providing said sulfur burner with a flow of sulfur, and means for heating said sulfur burner; a catalytic converter comprising a first catalytic converter stage and a second catalytic converter stage; means for introducing a flow of air between said first catalytic converter stage and said second catalytic converter stage; a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature between the first catalytic converter stage and the second catalytic converter stage; and a controller connected with said means for providing the sulfur burner with a flow of sulfur, said means for heating said sulfur burner and said temperature sensor, said controller being programmed to calculate the concentration of sulfur dioxide in air and operate said means for heating the sulfur burner in response to the temperature between the first stage and second stage of the catalytic converter to maintain and improve the efficient conversion of sulfur dioxide and air to sulfur trioxide.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
196 words
Apparatus for conditioning flue gas with sulfur trioxide for removal of entrained particles with an electrostatic precipitator, comprising: means for providing a flow of sulfur dioxide gas in air, including a sulfur burner, means for providing said sulfur burner with a flow of air, means for providing said sulfur burner with a flow of sulfur, and means for heating said sulfur burner; a catalytic converter comprising a first catalytic converter stage and a second catalytic converter stage; means for introducing a flow of air between said first catalytic converter stage and said second catalytic converter stage; a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature between the first catalytic converter stage and the second catalytic converter stage; and a controller connected with said means for providing the sulfur burner with a flow of sulfur, said means for heating said sulfur burner and said temperature sensor, said controller being programmed to calculate the concentration of sulfur dioxide in air and operate said means for heating the sulfur burner in response to the temperature between the first stage and second stage of the catalytic converter to maintain and improve the efficient conversion of sulfur dioxide and air to sulfur trioxide.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
35 words
The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the means for heating the sulfur burner comprises a gas-fired heater and a controllable valve connected with said controller to vary the flow of gas to said gas-fired heater.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
53 words
The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said means for providing a flow of sulfur dioxide in air and said controller are part of an integrated assembly for installation at a first convenient location and said two-stage catalytic converter and temperature sensor are part of an integrated assembly for installation at a remote location.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
207 words
The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said controller is connected with an opacity sensing means to determine the opacity of the flue gas and with means to determine the power used by the electrostatic precipitator, said controller periodically sampling the opacity of the flue gas, the corresponding rate of flow of the sulfur and the power used by the electrostatic precipitator, and storing data on the opacity, the rate of sulfur flow and the precipitator power; operating at a sulfur flow rate corresponding to a predetermined minimal opacity while continuing to periodically sample the opacity, and precipitator power, and increasing the rate of sulfur flow if the opacity of the stack effluent increases and the power used by the electrostatic means decreases and continually increasing the rate of flow of sulfur in response to opacity data until the opacity of the stack effluent fails to decrease or increases, and reducing the rate of sulfur flow in the event that the precipitator power increases at a plurality of sampling periods and the opacity of the stack effluent remains unchanged and continually decreasing the rate of sulfur flow in response to precipitator power data until the opacity of the stack effluent increases or the precipitator power fails to decrease.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
331 words
A system for conditioning boiler flue gas with sulfur trioxide for removal of entrained particles with an electrostatic precipitator, comprising: means for providing a controlled flow of sulfur dioxide and air at a temperature in excess of the condensation temperature of sulfurous acid; means for dividing the flow of air and sulfur dioxide into a plurality of air-sulfur dioxide flows of reduced volume; a plurality of sulfur dioxide converter assemblies, each sulfur dioxide converter assembly comprising a temperature control means for the flow of air and sulfur dioxide and a contiguous small catalytic converter, said temperature control means and catalytic converter providing a temperature and SO 3 conversion sufficient for the reduced volume of one of the plurality of air-sulfur dioxide flows; a controller connected with opacity sensing means to determine the opacity of the flue gas and with precipitator power sensing means to determine the power used by the electrostatic precipitator, said controller periodically sampling the opacity of the flue gas, the corresponding rate of flow of the sulfur dioxide and the power used by the electrostatic precipitator, and storing data on the opacity, the rate of sulfur dioxide flow and the precipitator power; operating at a sulfur dioxide flow rate corresponding to a predetermined minimal opacity while continuing to periodically sample the opacity, and precipitator power, and increasing the rate of sulfur dioxide flow if the opacity of the stack effluent increases and the power used by the electrostatic means decreases and continually increasing the rate of flow of sulfur dioxide in response to opacity data until the opacity of the stack effluent fails to decrease or increases, and reducing the rate of sulfur dioxide flow in the event that the precipitator power increases at a plurality of sampling periods and the opacity of the stack effluent remains unchanged and continually decreasing the rate of sulfur dioxide flow in response to precipitator power data until the opacity of the stack effluent increases or the precipitator power fails to decrease.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
331 words
A system for conditioning boiler flue gas with sulfur trioxide for removal of entrained particles with an electrostatic precipitator, comprising: means for providing a controlled flow of sulfur dioxide and air at a temperature in excess of the condensation temperature of sulfurous acid; means for dividing the flow of air and sulfur dioxide into a plurality of air-sulfur dioxide flows of reduced volume; a plurality of sulfur dioxide converter assemblies, each sulfur dioxide converter assembly comprising a temperature control means for the flow of air and sulfur dioxide and a contiguous small catalytic converter, said temperature control means and catalytic converter providing a temperature and SO 3 conversion sufficient for the reduced volume of one of the plurality of air-sulfur dioxide flows; a controller connected with opacity sensing means to determine the opacity of the flue gas and with precipitator power sensing means to determine the power used by the electrostatic precipitator, said controller periodically sampling the opacity of the flue gas, the corresponding rate of flow of the sulfur dioxide and the power used by the electrostatic precipitator, and storing data on the opacity, the rate of sulfur dioxide flow and the precipitator power; operating at a sulfur dioxide flow rate corresponding to a predetermined minimal opacity while continuing to periodically sample the opacity, and precipitator power, and increasing the rate of sulfur dioxide flow if the opacity of the stack effluent increases and the power used by the electrostatic means decreases and continually increasing the rate of flow of sulfur dioxide in response to opacity data until the opacity of the stack effluent fails to decrease or increases, and reducing the rate of sulfur dioxide flow in the event that the precipitator power increases at a plurality of sampling periods and the opacity of the stack effluent remains unchanged and continually decreasing the rate of sulfur dioxide flow in response to precipitator power data until the opacity of the stack effluent increases or the precipitator power fails to decrease.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
52 words
The system of claim 9 wherein said means for providing a controlled flow of sulfur dioxide gas and air comprises a sulfur burner, means for providing said sulfur burner with a flow of air, means for providing said sulfur burner with a flow of sulfur, and means for heating said sulfur burner.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
35 words
The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the means for heating the sulfur burner comprises a gas-fired heater and a controllable valve connected with said controller to vary the flow of gas to said gas-fired heater.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
50 words
The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said means for providing a controlled flow of sulfur dioxide and air and said controller are part of an integrated assembly for installation at a first convenient location, and said plurality of sulfur dioxide converter assemblies are adapted for installation at a remote location.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
54 words
The system of claim 9 further comprising: means for determining the sulfur content of the boiler fuel; and means for providing data on the sulfur content of the boiler fuel to said controller, said controller varying the rate of conditioning agent flow to compensate for changes in the sulfur content of the boiler fuel.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
189 words
Apparatus for conditioning flue gas with sulfur trioxide for removal of entrained particles with an electrostatic precipitator, comprising: means for providing a flow of sulfur dioxide gas and air, including a source of sulfur dioxide gas, means for providing said source of sulfur dioxide gas with a flow of air, and means for heating said flow of sulfur dioxide gas and air; a catalytic converter comprising a first catalytic conversion stage and a second catalytic conversion stage; a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature between the first catalytic converter stage and the second catalytic converter state; and a controller connected with said means for providing a flow of sulfur dioxide gas and air, with said means for heating said flow of sulfur dioxide gas and air and with said temperature sensor, said controller being programmed to calculate the concentration of sulfur dioxide in air and operate said means for heating said flow of sulfur dioxide gas and air in response to the temperature between the first stage and second stage of the catalytic converter to maintain and improve the efficient conversion of sulfur dioxide and air to sulfur trioxide.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
189 words
Apparatus for conditioning flue gas with sulfur trioxide for removal of entrained particles with an electrostatic precipitator, comprising: means for providing a flow of sulfur dioxide gas and air, including a source of sulfur dioxide gas, means for providing said source of sulfur dioxide gas with a flow of air, and means for heating said flow of sulfur dioxide gas and air; a catalytic converter comprising a first catalytic conversion stage and a second catalytic conversion stage; a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature between the first catalytic converter stage and the second catalytic converter state; and a controller connected with said means for providing a flow of sulfur dioxide gas and air, with said means for heating said flow of sulfur dioxide gas and air and with said temperature sensor, said controller being programmed to calculate the concentration of sulfur dioxide in air and operate said means for heating said flow of sulfur dioxide gas and air in response to the temperature between the first stage and second stage of the catalytic converter to maintain and improve the efficient conversion of sulfur dioxide and air to sulfur trioxide.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
90 words
The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the apparatus further includes a means for determining the sulfur content of the boiler fuel and for providing data on the sulfur content of the fuel, said sulfur content-determining means being connected with said controller, and wherein said controller is programmed to provide means for storing the data on the sulfur content of the fuel and for varying the operation of said means for providing a flow of sulfur dioxide gas and air to accommodate changes in the sulfur content of the boiler fuel.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
72 words
The apparatus of claim 14 further comprising means for periodically sampling and determining flue gas opacity and the power supplied to the electrostatic precipitator, said controller being further programmed to provide means for storing data on opacity and the power supplied to said electrostatic precipitator and for controlling the removal of entrained particles by the electrostatic precipitator by increasing and decreasing the flow of sulfur dioxide gas to maintain minimal stack opacity.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
26 words
The apparatus of claim 14 further comprising means for introducing a flow of air between said first catalytic converter stage and said second catalytic converter stage.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
42 words
The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said means for introducing a flow of air between said first catalytic converter stage and said second catalytic converter stage comprises said means for providing said source of sulfur dioxide gas with a flow of air.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1994-07-15 | 1995-01-14 | 1995-07-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1998-07-15 | 1999-01-14 | 1999-07-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2002-07-15 | 2003-01-14 | 2003-07-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |